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The Big Sleep

Book 1 in the series:Philip Marlowe

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'The Big Sleep' by Raymond Chandler is a classic noir detective story set in Los Angeles. The book follows private detective Philip Marlowe as he navigates through a complex web of blackmail, murder, and intrigue while dealing with shady characters and dangerous situations. The writing style is characterized by snappy dialogue, witty descriptions, and vivid details of the city of Los Angeles, creating a gritty and atmospheric setting reminiscent of classic detective movies.

The story unfolds with Marlowe being hired by a wealthy man to handle a blackmail case involving his daughter, which quickly escalates into a series of events leading to multiple deaths and a deeper mystery. As Marlowe delves deeper into the case, the plot becomes more intricate and the stakes higher, showcasing Chandler's talent for creating suspenseful and engaging narratives that keep readers hooked until the final revelation.

Characters:

Characters are vividly drawn, with Marlowe as a quintessential detective navigating a seedy underworld while interacting with complex figures.

Writing/Prose:

Chandler's writing is characterized by its sharp wit and vivid imagery, utilizing similes and metaphors that evoke a strong sense of place and character.

Plot/Storyline:

The narrative features a complex intertwining of stories, primarily focusing on a blackmail case involving the daughters of a wealthy general, which unfolds into a web of murder and deception.

Setting:

The Los Angeles setting is integral, capturing the juxtaposition of glamour and grime in a post-prohibition society.

Pacing:

The pacing is generally quick, though moments of heavy description can slow it down, requiring careful attention from the reader.
IT WAS ABOUT ELEVEN O’CLOCK in the morning, mid October, with the sun not shining and a look of hard wet rain in the clearness of the foothills. I was wearing my powder-blue suit, with dark blue shirt...

Notes:

The Big Sleep was first published in 1939 and is Raymond Chandler's debut novel.
Philip Marlowe is introduced as a hard-boiled private detective in this book.
The novel features complex storylines involving blackmail, murder, and pornography.
Chandler's writing style is noted for its vivid descriptions and sharp dialogue, full of similes and metaphors.
Marlowe's character is portrayed as morally principled yet cynical, navigating a corrupt world.
The book has a convoluted plot, and even Chandler admitted he didn't know who killed a minor character, the chauffeur.
The Big Sleep spawned a famous 1946 film adaptation starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.
Chandler's work is credited with defining the hard-boiled detective genre, which influenced many later authors.
The dialogue is often witty and incorporates a lot of 1930s slang, adding to the novel's charm.
Women in the novel are often portrayed as femme fatales, a common trope in noir fiction.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings include misogyny, homophobia, graphic depictions of violence, and themes of sexual exploitation.

From The Publisher:

The iconic first novel from crime fiction master Raymond Chandler, featuring Philip Marlowe, the "quintessential urban private eye" (Los Angeles Times).

A dying millionaire hires private eye Philip Marlowe to handle the blackmailer of one of his two troublesome daughters, and Marlowe finds himself involved with more than extortion. Kidnapping, pornography, seduction, and murder are just a few of the complications he gets caught up in.

Ratings (38)

Incredible (6)
Loved It (16)
Liked It (14)
Did Not Like (1)
Hated It (1)

Reader Stats (62):

Read It (38)
Want To Read (20)
Did Not Finish (1)
Not Interested (3)

5 comment(s)

Hated It
3 days

boring. didn’t care about a single character. DNF

 
Did Not Like
5 days

I love reading classics of a genres but this one felt very outdated in my opinion, couldn't get past it. It well written and the detective is somewhat of an interesting character to read about but this wasn't the detective book for me.

 
Liked It
3 months

A classic that started the entire "hard boiled detective" genre, I have been wanting to read this one for awhile. It was hard to get into at first. Because I think it started an entire genre, and I am reading it at a time where that genre has already become both mainstream and subsequently satirized, it was hard for me not to laugh at a lot of the dialogue and some of the stereotypical characters and tropes that appeared. I kept imagining a 1940s gangster movie in my head the entire time. I did enjoy it by the end though. I think the descriptions of LA and the atmosphere of the book was fantastic. There are depictions in here from 1939 that the modern reader is going to find misogynistic, racist, homophobic, etc. Overall, I did find it interesting and worth my time as a historical and literary read.

 
Loved It
3 months

Un clasico del genero detectivesco.

Trama compleja, detective inteligente, duro bebedor de whisky y fumador. Que no le importa meterle dos bofetadas a una chica o disparar a traicion si hace falta.

Muy lejos de las sensibilidades modernas, pero ya se sabe como eran aquellos años.

 
Loved It
7 months

It was exactly the book I needed at that time. I read [b:The Long Goodbye|2054|The Long Goodbye (Philip Marlowe, #6)|Raymond Chandler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388225584l/2054._SY75_.jpg|998106] many years ago, but I liked this one more.

I delayed writing this review because I don't have much to say about this book. It's just a very good story, and I'm always much better at talking about what I didn't like. And here there was basically nothing like that.

Philip Marlowe is an interesting main character who does not make too many stupid mistakes. He is not easily misled by various people. I definitely liked him in this book. He is clever and intelligent and does not hesitate to use deception, but at the same time has his own moral code.

But the best part is the plot and the mystery. Marlowe is hired to solve the blackmail case, but everyone thinks that his job is to find the husband of the general's daughter. This thread is extremely interesting. And although I suspected how this case would be solved, I was still pretty happy with the end. But in the case led by Marlowe, there are also several other interesting threads. Something is happening all the time, there are a lot of twists and turns. And in all these are involved a few very expressive and interesting characters.

This is really a very good story. And exactly what I needed at the moment. I definitely recommend this book.

 

About the Author:

Raymond Thornton Chandler (1888 -1959) was the master practitioner of American hard-boiled crime fiction. Although he was born in Chicago, Chandler spent most of his boyhood and youth in England where he attended Dulwich College and later worked as a…

 
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